The Syrian opposition will take part in the Peace Conference "Geneva-2"

The Syrian opposition will take part in the Geneva-2 peace conference, which will open on January 22 in Switzerland. The largest association is the National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces (Nors) - discussing the issue of participation for several months, made a positive decision. At the same time, noting that the opposition to President Assad do not believe, and in the future of Syria it should not be. The head of the coalition Ahmad Jarba said that the association considers the only goal of "Geneva-2" Assad’s displacement.

During the meeting in Istanbul, of 73 members of the Coalition Council, 58 spoke “FOR”, 14 - “Against”, two abstained, one bulletin remained empty. The vote was secret. According to reports, the decision to participate in Geneva-2 supported a number of military units of the opposition, ITAR-TASS reports.

The key issue for the opposition was the attitude to Syria President Bashar Assad: radical leaders demanded either his resignation before negotiations or guarantees of departure from the post, otherwise refusing to participate in Geneva-2. According to the results of negotiations on Saturday, the head of the press service of Nurses Khalid Salekh pointed out: "Bashar Assad must understand that" Geneva-2 "should not become a loss of time, the price of which is the blood of the Syrian people." “Without a doubt, the purpose of the conference is the formation of a transitional governing body, which has the full power and free from Assad and its close circle. The statements and actions of the regime indicate that the political decision is not part of its political agenda,” he emphasized.

The composition of the delegation that the coalition will send to the conference is not yet defined.

State Department and UN welcome the decision

US Secretary of State John Kerry called the opposition’s decision to participate in Geneva-2 a bold act: “This is a bold decision in the interests of the entire Syrian people, who was so much affected by the cruelty of the Syria regime (President of Syria) Bashar Assad and the endless civil war.”

UN Secretary General Pan Hi Moon also welcomed the decision of the Syrian opposition, expressing the hope that the rebels will quickly form a representative delegation.

“This is a bold and historical step in the interests of the political settlement of a three -year conflict, which brought so much suffering and destruction,” the general secretary statement is noted. “I expect that the opposition will quickly form a delegation in which its diversity, including women, will be widely represented.”

The Syria conference will begin with an international meeting in the Swiss city of Montrea on January 22. A day after that, Damascus and the opposition will continue to search for ways to settle the conflict in the UN representative office in Geneva. As Pan Hi Moon said on Friday, during the negotiations, the international community will seek from the warring parties to the cessation of violence and the launch of the political process in the country, which will provide for the formation of a transition government endowed with the fullness of the executive branch.